Virginia Bruce
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Virginia Bruce (September 29, 1910 – February 24, 1982) was an American actress and singer. Born Helen Virginia Briggs in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In 1928, she moved with her family to Los Angeles intending to enroll in the University of California, Los Angeles when a friendly wager sent her seeking film work. She got it as an extra in Why Bring That Up?. In 1930 she appeared on Broadway in the musical Smiles, followed by America's Sweetheart in 1931. She returned to Hollywood in 1932, where on August 10, 1932, she married John Gilbert, her co-star in the film Downstairs. She retired briefly after the birth of their daughter Susan Ann Gilbert. The couple divorced in 1934, and Virginia returned to a hectic schedule of film appearances. Gilbert died two years later in 1936. Bruce introduced the Cole Porter standard "I've Got You Under My Skin" in the film Born to Dance and co-starred in the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musical The Great Ziegfeld. One of her final film appearances was in Strangers When We Meet. In 1949, Bruce starred in a daily 30-minute radio drama. Make Believe Town was an afternoon program on CBS. Bruce married her second husband, film director J. Walter Ruben, in 1937, making the Wallace Beery western The Bad Man of Brimstone with him that year. Together they had a son named Christopher (b. 1941), before Ruben's death in 1942. In 1946, Bruce married Ali Ipar. They divorced in 1951 in order for him to receive a commission in the Turkish Military (which forbade promotions of men married to foreigners), but remarried in 1952 before divorcing again in 1964. Bruce died of cancer on February 24, 1982, at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, California. She was 71.
Filmography
Complicated Women
as Self (archive footage)
Complicated Women
as Self (archive footage)
James Stewart: A Wonderful Life
as Self (archive footage)
James Stewart: A Wonderful Life
as Self (archive footage)
That's Entertainment!
as (archive footage) (uncredited)
That's Entertainment!
as (archive footage) (uncredited)
Strangers When We Meet
as Mrs. Wagner
Strangers When We Meet
as Mrs. Wagner
The Reluctant Bride
as Laura Weeks
The Reluctant Bride
as Laura Weeks
The Plague
as Nurse
The Plague
as Nurse
State Department: File 649
as Marge
State Department: File 649
as Marge
Night Has a Thousand Eyes
as Jenny
Night Has a Thousand Eyes
as Jenny
Love, Honor and Goodbye
as Roberta Baxter
Love, Honor and Goodbye
as Roberta Baxter
Brazil
as Nicky Henderson
Brazil
as Nicky Henderson
Action in Arabia
as Yvonne
Action in Arabia
as Yvonne
Careful, Soft Shoulders
as Connie Mathers
Careful, Soft Shoulders
as Connie Mathers
Pardon My Sarong
as Joan Marshall
Pardon My Sarong
as Joan Marshall
Butch Minds the Baby
as Susie O'Neill
Butch Minds the Baby
as Susie O'Neill
Adventure in Washington
as Jane Scott
Adventure in Washington
as Jane Scott
The Invisible Woman
as Kitty Carroll
The Invisible Woman
as Kitty Carroll
Hired Wife
as Phyllis Walden
Hired Wife
as Phyllis Walden
Cavalcade of the Academy Awards
as Self
Cavalcade of the Academy Awards
as Self
The Man Who Talked Too Much
as Joan Reed
The Man Who Talked Too Much
as Joan Reed
Stronger Than Desire
as Elizabeth Flagg
Stronger Than Desire
as Elizabeth Flagg
Land of Liberty
as (archive footage)
Land of Liberty
as (archive footage)
Hollywood Hobbies
as Self (uncredited)
Hollywood Hobbies
as Self (uncredited)
Society Lawyer
as Pat Abbott
Society Lawyer
as Pat Abbott
Let Freedom Ring
as Maggie Adams
Let Freedom Ring
as Maggie Adams
There's That Woman Again
as Sally Reardon
There's That Woman Again
as Sally Reardon
There Goes My Heart
as Joan Butterfield
There Goes My Heart
as Joan Butterfield
Hollywood Goes to Town
as Self
Hollywood Goes to Town
as Self
Woman Against Woman
as Maris Kent
Woman Against Woman
as Maris Kent
Yellow Jack
as Frances Blake
Yellow Jack
as Frances Blake
The First Hundred Years
as Lynn Conway
The First Hundred Years
as Lynn Conway
Arsène Lupin Returns
as Lorraine de Grissac
Arsène Lupin Returns
as Lorraine de Grissac
The Bad Man of Brimstone
as Loretta Douglas
The Bad Man of Brimstone
as Loretta Douglas
Between Two Women
as Patricia Sloan
Between Two Women
as Patricia Sloan
When Love Is Young
as Wanda Werner
When Love Is Young
as Wanda Werner
Women of Glamour
as Gloria Hudson
Women of Glamour
as Gloria Hudson
The Great Ziegfeld
as Audrey Dane
The Great Ziegfeld
as Audrey Dane
A Dream Comes True
as Herself (uncredited)
A Dream Comes True
as Herself (uncredited)
Pirate Party on Catalina Isle
as Virginia Bruce (uncredited)
Pirate Party on Catalina Isle
as Virginia Bruce (uncredited)
Metropolitan
as Anne Merrill
Metropolitan
as Anne Merrill
Here Comes the Band
as Margaret
Here Comes the Band
as Margaret
Escapade
as Gerta
Escapade
as Gerta
Shadow of Doubt
as Trenna
Shadow of Doubt
as Trenna
Dangerous Corner
as Ann Beale
Dangerous Corner
as Ann Beale
Jane Eyre
as Jane Eyre
Jane Eyre
as Jane Eyre
Kongo
as Ann
Kongo
as Ann
Downstairs
as Anna
Downstairs
as Anna
Winner Take All
as Joan Gibson
Winner Take All
as Joan Gibson
Raffles
as Gwen's Friend (uncredited)
Raffles
as Gwen's Friend (uncredited)
The Social Lion
as Society Girl
The Social Lion
as Society Girl
Safety in Numbers
as Alma McGregor
Safety in Numbers
as Alma McGregor
Paramount on Parade
as Chorus Girl (uncredited)
Paramount on Parade
as Chorus Girl (uncredited)
Young Eagles
as Florence Welford
Young Eagles
as Florence Welford
Only the Brave
as Elizabeth
Only the Brave
as Elizabeth
Lilies of the Field
as Doris
Lilies of the Field
as Doris
Pointed Heels
as Chorus Girl (uncredited)
Pointed Heels
as Chorus Girl (uncredited)
Hard to Get
as Young Woman (uncredited)
Hard to Get
as Young Woman (uncredited)
The River of Romance
as Southern Belle
The River of Romance
as Southern Belle
Fugitives
as Extra (uncredited)
Fugitives
as Extra (uncredited)